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  • Do you think animals can communicate?

  • No?

  • Think again!

  • There are three main types of animal communication, and they all happen for different reasons.

  • Communication Between Animals of the Same Species

  • Defending Territory and Attracting a Mate Many animals are communicative.

  • Hippos, for example, communicate underwater and on land, but mostly they communicate underwater,

  • by making noises called grunts and bellows.

  • On land, the volume of their bellows can reach 115 decibels.

  • That's as loud as thunder or a jet plane!

  • They communicate with each other to defend their territory, which is their own space.

  • Hippos bellow when they fight other

  • Food Honeybees do a special kind of dance called

  • the waggle dance when they find nectar, water, or pollen.

  • The dance is like a map of their journey.

  • The dance helps other bees locate the nectar, water, or pollen.

  • Danger!

  • Most animals have predators that want to kill and eat them.

  • Lions, cheetahs, and eagles prey on vervet monkeys, so the monkeys have alarm signals

  • for each predator.

  • Rabbits thump their powerful back paws on the ground to warn other rabbits of danger.

  • Beavers slap their tails hard against the water to scare away any foxes and alligators

  • that approach.

  • Warning!

  • Predators threaten their prey, so what animals need is a warning sign.

  • Rattlesnakes have a rattle on the end of their bodies that they shake when they feel threatened.

  • The loud noise scares away predators.

  • Similarly, wolves growl and show their teeth to warn enemies that they will fight.

  • Food A type of lizard, called a gecko, and an insect,

  • called a treehopper cooperate with each other.

  • They both eat honeydew, a sweet, sticky liquid that trees produce.

  • The gecko sees the treehopper vibrating its stomach, so it knows that the treehopper is

  • eating honeydew.

  • The gecko shakes its head to indicate to the treehopper that it wants honeydew.

  • The treehopper throws honeydew toward the gecko, which catches it in its mouth.

  • Why does the hopper behave like this?

  • It's possible that the gecko protects the hopper from

  • Dolphins, apes, and parrots are the animals that have communicated the most with humans.

  • A famous bonobo ape, Kanzi, was the first non-human to learn language the way a child

  • does, by listening and observing.

  • A scientist said that Kanzi had learned 450 words using a keyboard.

  • He also told us that Kanzi was learning new things every day.

  • Alex was a grey parrot who, like most parrots, could imitate words, but he could also identify

  • objects, colors, and shapes.

  • He died when he was 31.

  • His last words to his trainer, Dr. Pepperberg, were: "You be good.

  • I love you."

  • Dr. Pepperberg said Alex had started to learn the alphabet.

  • Every time Alex got a letter right, he told Dr. Pepperberg that he wanted a nut!

Do you think animals can communicate?

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